Israel's comatose Sharon shows brain activity

JERUSALEM — Seven years after a massive stroke removed him from office and left him in a vegetative state, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is able to process information and has exhibited "robust activity" in his brain, according to doctors who conducted recent tests.

Though some hoped Sharon might regain consciousness and resume his life, experts warned that was highly unlikely.

The medical team that tested him last week said Monday that the scans showed the 84-year-old Sharon responding to pictures of his family and recordings of his son's voice. They cautioned, however, it is not clear how much he understood, stressing the chances of his regaining full capacities are almost zero.

"The information is getting in and is getting processed," said Dr. Alon Friedman, head of the Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience at Ben-Gurion University. "He hears what they are saying. To what extent he understands, we cannot say for sure."